Chevy HHR SS Panel: The Quirkiest Panel Van You Will Ever See
One of the rarest performance vehicles to come from Chevy in the last twenty years is not a Corvette or Camaro. It is a panel van.
The HHR was a retro-styled crossover vehicle released in 2006 to compete with the Chrysler PT Cruiser. While not quite the iconic El Camino, it did a decent job mixing fun with practicality. Eventually a performance SS model of the funky HHR was introduced. There was also a utilitarian panel van version. For one magical year, the SS and the panel van were combined into a single model. One of the quirkiest and rarest modern vehicles was then born.
YouTube star Doug DeMuro gives us a detailed look at this 2009 HHR SS Panel. If you are familiar with the DeMuro videos, you know he focuses on the quirks and features of the cars he reviews. This HHR SS Panel is basically nothing but quirks, so there is no shortage of items to cover. It is also one of the rarest modern cars Chevy has produced, with only 216 ever made. Perhaps down the road these special vehicles may even be worthy of a museum display.
Let us start out by putting the rarity of the HHR SS Panel into context. The Chevy SSR, retro convertible pickup truck can be considered a rare, modern Chevy, yet they outnumber the HHR SS Panel 100 to 1. Back in 2006 there was the Chevy Silverado Intimidator SS. They outnumber the HHR SS Panel 6 to 1. There are even twice as many C7 Corvette ZR1 convertibles as there are HHR SS Panel vehicles. So, this video may very well be the only chance you will have to see one of these things.
Aside from the fact that it is unusual to have a performance version of a panel van to begin with, this vehicle has myriad quirks hidden in the details. One of the more interesting items is around back with the tailgate release. It is a standard electronic release but if the electrics fail, you need a manual way to access your cargo. A regular keyhole would have been much too boring so the Chevy team, who clearly are fans of spy novels, came up with another solution. On the inside of the tailgate there is a row of molded plastic tabs. Most do nothing, but one of them can be removed and reveals a hidden emergency hatch release. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. A false piece of plastic molding that actually reveals a purpose if you take it off and know where to look.” Says DeMuro.
Another fun fact about the HHR SS Panel is that it has no rear seats, yet it has retained the two rear doors. Despite not having any exterior handles to open the rear doors, there are three other ways to gain access. A button on the key fob will pop the doors open. There are also buttons on both the driver and passenger side of the dash that will open the rear doors. The third option is to use the interior door handles that were retained. “That’s right, there are no rear seats in this vehicle, but General Motors kept the rear door handles so your phantom rear passengers can open up the doors.” Says a chuckling DeMuro.
Moving to the front, you will find one of our favorite features that seems out of place in a panel van. That feature is a dash mounted information screen that will display several performance indicators. It will show everything from current horsepower and torque ratings, to a boost gauge and even the cam phaser angle. However, the cherry on top must be the shift light indicator. About one quarter of the HHR SS Panel vehicles produced were built with a manual transmission, so Chevy thoughtfully included the shift light.
Are things like shift lights, and red brake calipers not enough to convince you of this vehicle’s performance intentions? Well, the HHR SS Panel even has launch control! As DeMuro explains: “Basically the way you do it is just like every other car. Put it into launch control mode with the button. Then stand on the brake, push down the gas and it will allow the car to rev up to a certain RPM and then you can launch your panel van.”
Any SS model vehicle must have some decent performance to earn the SS badging, and the HHR iteration is no different. It is powered by a 2.0L turbo-charged 4-cylinder pumping out about 260 horsepower. Not a gaudy amount of power by today’s standards, but enough to get it moving with some urgency. 0 to 60 mph will come up in the low 6 second range which is more than respectable for a panel van. According to DeMuro: “It feels fast, it feels fun, it feels exciting.”
So, there you have it. If you are on a budget, and looking for a fast and fun Chevy produced in extremely low numbers, then forget the Corvettes and Camaros. Get yourself an HHR SS Panel van. Who knew?
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